Hidalgo is a landlocked state in central Mexico, just north of Mexico City, known for the mining heritage of Pachuca de Soto and Real del Monte, the Toltec ruins of Tula de Allende, the basalt columns of Huasca de Ocampo, and the hot-spring grottoes of Grutas de Tolantongo. The state pairs colonial and pre-Hispanic history with dramatic natural landscapes across its mountains, canyons, and semi-arid valleys.
Top food tours
Guided experiences that show you Hidalgo through its food.
Hacienda Zotoluca Pulque Tasting Experience
Includes: Guided tour of the historic tinacal fermentation hall · Tasting flight of plain pulque and fruit-and-nut curados · Hands-on explanation of aguamiel harvesting from the maguey pulquero · Honey tasting from hacienda-kept hives · Access to colonial-era hacienda architecture and grounds
Hacienda San Antonio Tocha Tinacal Tour
Includes: Walk through one of the region's few still-active pulque tinacales · Explanation of maguey cultivation on the hacienda's surrounding fields · Pulque tasting drawn straight from the tinacal vats · Tour of the hacienda's Porfirian-era buildings
Corredor de las Haciendas Pulqueras Route
Includes: Visits to two or three Porfirian-era haciendas pulqueras along the Apan-Tepeapulco corridor · Pulque and curado tastings at each hacienda stop · Traditional Hidalgo meal served at a hacienda dining room · Guided commentary on the corridor's history as a principal pulque-producing zone · Transport between hacienda stops included
Self-Guided Paste Trail, Real del Monte and Mineral del Monte
Includes: Self-paced walk between four established paste shops · Comparison tasting of savory and sweet paste fillings · Optional café de olla stop at El Serranillo · Views of Real del Monte and Mineral del Monte's colonial mining-town streets
Actopan Barbacoa and Ximbó Weekend Trail
Includes: Self-paced visits to three family-run barbacoa and ximbó kitchens · Comparison tasting of barbacoa de hoyo and ximbó earthen-pit cooking styles · Consomé de borrego tasting at each stop · Insight into Actopan's traditional earthen-pit cooking method
Sunday Zacahuil Morning, Huejutla de Reyes
Includes: Early-morning visit to Calle Sur zacahuil stands before they sell out · Zacahuil tasting, the region's giant banana-leaf-wrapped tamale · Xojol sweet tamale sampling · Walk through the Huejutla zócalo and surrounding market for bocolos and Huastec coffee
Pachuca Mercado Benito Juárez Escamoles and Barbacoa Walk
Includes: Walk through the market's family-run comedor stalls · Barbacoa and consomé tasting at multiple stalls · Seasonal escamoles or chinicuiles tasting, available March through May · Browsing of dried chile, herb, and maguey-product vendors
Huasca de Ocampo Mixiotes and Highland Trout Tasting
Includes: Mixiotes tasting at a Huasca de Ocampo comedor · Highland trout sampling, a specialty of the surrounding forested hills · Walk through Huasca's Pueblo Mágico center · Optional scenic add-on to the nearby prismas basálticos
Tour formats
Different ways to experience Hidalgo's food scene.
Items tours
Cooking classes
Take a piece of Hidalgo home with you.
Paste-Making Class, Mineral del Monte
Hacienda Zotoluca Pulque and Regional Cooking Workshop
Foodie tips
Get more out of every meal.
Barbacoa across Hidalgo, from Actopan to Ixmiquilpan, is overwhelmingly a Friday-through-Sunday tradition; visiting on a weekday often means a closed kitchen
Zacahuil in Huejutla de Reyes is sold specifically on Sunday mornings and frequently sells out within a few hours, so arriving before 8AM matters more than which stand is chosen
Escamoles are only available roughly March through May; planning a Pachuca market visit around that window is the only way to try them
Pastes come savory and sweet; specifying 'salado' or 'dulce' when ordering avoids an unexpected rice-pudding-filled pastry
Pulque ferments quickly and travels poorly, so it is best tasted fresh at a hacienda or pulquería rather than bottled and carried home
Real del Monte and Mineral del Monte's steep cobblestone streets favor comfortable walking shoes over sandals on any paste-trail visit
Cash in pesos is the more dependable way to pay at barbacoa stands, market comedores and small-town restaurants outside Pachuca
Tipping 10-15 percent in cash is standard at sit-down restaurants; it is not expected at market counters or roadside barbacoa stands
Tap water is not drinkable anywhere in Hidalgo state; bottled or purified water is standard at restaurants and hotels